Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry was not included on the Tennessee Secretary of State’s list of candidates who submitted signatures to qualify for the ballot in one of Tennessee’s congressional districts, following the successful redrawing by Governor Bill Lee and the General Assembly.
Barry was included on the state agency’s Tuesday list of candidates, and the Secretary of State confirmed she had obtained a petition to begin gathering the 25 valid signatures required to obtain ballot access in the newly redrawn districts.
With the deadline having lapsed at 12 p.m. on Friday, the latest list no longer includes Barry’s name, indicating that she did not return the signed petition and will no longer seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District.
Barry resigned in disgrace after admitting to using taxpayer dollars to carry out an extramarital affair with her bodyguard.
Though the mayor pleaded guilty to felony theft of public funds, her record was expunged in 2021, and in 2024 she challenged former U.S. Representative Mark Green in the general election for the 7th Congressional District.
“Now is the right time. I look at the dysfunction in Washington and I think people want a government that’s going to work, and so enough with the chaos,” Barry said in a 2024 interview. “I want to run and be part of the solution.”
Of her ignominious fall from grace, the mayor said she hoped “voters out there are believers in second chances.” She went on to lose to Green in a landslide.
Though Barry will not be included, Democrats living in the 6th Congressional District will have a crowded list of primary candidates to choose from. The latest Secretary of State information reveals former Democratic nominee Lore Bergman, military and law enforcement veteran Mike Croley, Vanderbilt University employee Miriam Leibowitz, agricultural educator Chaney Mosley, and Christopher Martin Finley all additionally qualified for the primary.
For months, the race for the Republican nomination to represent the 6th Congressional District has largely been dominated by State Representative Johnny Garrett (R-Goodletsville) and former U.S. Representative Van Hilleary. Military veteran Jon Henry and educator Natisha Brooks are also seeking the Republican nomination.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Megan Barry” by Megan Barry.
I guess she couldn’t find enough married men to sign her petition.
Just wondering if Ms Berry has been visiting any cemeteries lately.